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96 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2022 • Signal-integrity and EMI applications • Flex PCBs • Documentation and manufacturing preparation • Advanced electronics (energy movement in circuits, transmission lines, etc.) At the end of the workshop, registrants may take the optional Certified Printed Circuit Designer (CPCD) certification. PCEA is the registrar and certifying body for the CPCD. Again, the emphasis is on real-world engi- neering and design, not pie-in-the-sky theory. Students are taught facts and principles in a tool-agnostic way. One medium-term goal is to get institutions to adopt the CPCD, much in the way they are latching onto FlexFactor, so students are not just aware of careers in printed circuit engineering and manufacturing but prepared for them. Not so long ago, a Lockheed-Martin engineer keynoting an industry conference extolled the virtues of the F-35 joint strike fighter. And I admit, the warfighter is a freak of advanced engineering. But aer his presentation, I asked what L-M was doing to compete with the Face- books and Googles to attract the next genera- tion of engineers. His somewhat incredulous "what, me worry?" response: "Who wouldn't want to work on a machine like this?" e answer, of course, is many people. COVID only highlighted the skilled labor shortage experienced at many technology companies over the past three decades. Find- ing the right employees is an ongoing indus- try-wide problem. Fortunately, programs by organizations like NextFlex and PCEA are starting to fill the void. DESIGN007 Mike Buetow is a director of the Printed Circuit Engineer- ing Association. To read past columns or contact him, click here. a means of engaging students with STEM pathways in higher education," says Emily McGrath, workforce development director at NextFlex. "So, although the participants are all in high school, the teams represent their colleges (not their high schools) in the finals because we work with the colleges, not the high schools, to run the program." is is appealing, I think, because today's students seem much more driven by hands-on instruction and an accelerated path to accom- plishment. One of the facets of Printed Circuit Engi- neering Association is to promote printed cir- cuit engineering as a profession and to encour- age, facilitate, and promote the exchange of information and integration of new design concepts through communications, seminars, workshops, and professional certification. So central is training to our mission, we spell it out in our bylaws. We have affiliated with PCE-EDU, a train- ing company established by some of the lead- ing names in printed circuit engineering and manufacturing tooling. To teach the principles set forth in the Printed Circuit Engineering Professional curriculum, PCE-EDU has set up a five-day course covering: • e basics of the profession, materials, manufacturing methods and processes • Circuit definition and capture • Board layout data and placement • Circuit routing and interconnection Today's students seem much more driven by hands-on instruction and an accelerated path to accomplishment.